Market: Leeds draw no bet
Odds: 4/5 @
Looking to extend on their recent Championship flurry this weekend, Leeds will travel to a struggling Southampton on Saturday lunchtime.
Starting with the hosts, while Southampton might have opened the 2023/24 campaign with their sights set on securing an immediate Premier League return, the Saints find themselves in the midst of a nightmare spell. Last seen putting in another worrying performance as they slipped to a 2-1 loss away at relegation scrappers Middlesbrough, it appears that there is mounting pressure on Russell Martin’s shoulders. Freefalling down the Championship standings and with the feel of a squad seeking a much-needed boost, the former Swansea boss has seen his side remarkably lose each of their previous …
Melbourne Victory have received a late boost ahead of their game against Western Sydney Wanderers, with Maxi Beister receiving clearance to play.
The German forward s visa came through on Friday, meaning Beister will be added to Victory s extended squad for Saturday s match although he will not start at Etihad Stadium.
Beister looked sharp at training on Friday as he prepared for his Victory debut.
He [Beister] has been working away, very hard and getting close to being involved in the team and having to wait, like we all were, Victory coach Kevin Muscat said after training.
Then this morning we got an email nice and early, so he had a decent spring in his step and he s looking forward to it.
Beister joined Victory on loan from Bundesliga c…
Jamie Carragher has urged Liverpool s owners to hand Brendan Rodgers the funds to turn the club into regular title challengers.
The Anfield legend – who made over 700 appearances for the club before retiring 12 months ago – has yet again paid tribute to the progress being made under Rodgers as Liverpool sit two points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City heading into the final weekend of the season.
City are overwhelming favourites due to a superior goal difference to be crowned champions for the second time in three years, but Carragher hopes the vast improvement in league form at Liverpool is a springboard for future success rather than the summit of ambitions .
Rodgers needs to sign a handful of quality players, according to Carragher, to address the is…
Libertad remain in pole position to do the Apertura-Clausura double in the Paraguayan Division Profesional, heading to the final matchday.
Pedro Sarabia s men have a two-point buffer on second-placed Cerro Porteno, with Libertad on the brink of winning both titles in the same calendar year for the second time since the format was introduced in 2008.
Libertad were 1-0 winners over Sportivo Luqueno Antonio Bareiro scoring the winner for the Apertura champions.
Daniel Guiza scored the game s only goal in Cerro s 1-0 victory over Nacional Asuncion, to keep alive their title chances heading to next weekend.
Libertad are away at Nacional Asuncion, while Cerro visit Sol de America.
Should the two clubs finish level on points a Libertad draw and a Cerro w…
Crystal Palace have confirmed that winger Bakary Sako has rejoined the Premier League club on a short-term deal.
Sako spent three seasons at Crystal Palace, scoring eight goals across 50 appearances from 2015 through to 2018, leaving the club at the end of last season.
The former Wolves forward joined West Brom in October, but played just six times for the Championship club, and Sako has now secured a return to Selhurst Park until the end of the campaign.
Sako, 30, becomes Palace s second signing of the January window, following on from goalkeeper Lucas Perri, who arrived on loan from Brazilian side Sao Paulo.
s ready.
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC)
I m so happy to be back at Palace, said the Mali international.
I felt lik…
Lucas Vazquez will again play at right-back for Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final second leg with Bayern Munich in place of the injured Dani Carvajal.
Carvajal was forced off in Madrid s 2-1 victory in the first leg last week because of a hamstring issue, meaning winger Vazquez had to drop back into an unfamiliar defensive role.
He will occupy that position once more at the Santiago Bernabeu as Madrid look to move a step closer to a third successive Champions League triumph.
Marco Asensio, who scored the winner at the Allianz Arena after replacing Isco at half-time, also starts. Isco misses out with a shoulder injury despite training with his team-mates on Monday.
Wales forward Gareth Bale is on the bench, as he was in the first leg, wit…
Arsenal full-back Hector Bellerin admits it is special to hear about reported interest from former club Barcelona.
The 22-year-old has regularly been linked with a potential move back to Camp Nou, despite having extended his Gunners contract reportedly until 2023 last November.
Bellerin stated towards the end of last year that he had no interest in rejoining Barca but, despite repeating that he felt underappreciated at the club, he has conceded that the latest rumours are flattering.
It s nice there are a lot of big clubs that are interested in me, but if one of those is Barcelona, that s special, he told Sport. I don t forget I grew up in that home and I will never forget my stay at Barcelona.
Of his frustrations at Barca prior to joining Arsenal in…
According to a recent report from Bild, Liverpool are close to completing the signing of RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner however, there are plans in place for him to be loaned back to the German club for the entirety of the 2020/21 campaign.
Back in 2017 a similar deal was struck regarding Naby Keita, with the belief being that the Reds are happy to wait in order to get their man. Liverpool are close to making an announcement that a deal has been reached, with there being a €60 million exit clause in his current contract that must be activated in order for things to proceed.
It was recently noted that Barcelona and Inter Milan are both interested in entering the race to try and sign Werner, but if a deal is as close as this report indicates, they may as well turn their…
Having lost Andres Iniesta and Paulinho this summer, are in need of fresh midfield signings, and claim they are ready to act on their interest in Lazio s Sergej Milinković-Savić.
The Serbian international is in high demand at the moment, despite his team not doing particularly well in the World Cup in Russia. Serbia beat Costa Rica in their opening game of the tournament before losing to both Switzerland and Brazil and subsequently failing to qualify for the knockout stages.
Manchester United and Real Madrid have been reported to have a strong interest in signing Milinković-Savić, but Barcelona are ready to battle it out with them to bring the midfielder to Camp Nou and it seems at this point that the need of the Catalan club is greater.
Milinković-Savić…
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes Diego Costa will have benefited from his midweek exertions ahead of Saturday s visit of Hull City.
Costa played the full 90 minutes on Wednesday as Chelsea eased to a 3-1 victory over Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Champions League.
The Spain international has featured in four games without scoring since claiming his 11th Premier League goal of the season against West Brom on November 22.
Yet Mourinho declared himself pleased with the 26-year-old s contribution in the clash with Sporting, as Costa seeks to return to peak fitness and form after persistent hamstring trouble this term.
He wants to improve his condition, explained Mourinho. The confidence is not high, the condition is not the best but he wants to use the g…